


Crimson Kringle

by SmileAndASong



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel
Genre: Christmas Presents, Codenames, Domestic Avengers, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Gift Giving, Happy Ending, Humor, Lingerie, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, Secret Santa, Steve Rogers-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-09-22 15:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17061986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileAndASong/pseuds/SmileAndASong
Summary: Steve is ecstatic when he draws Tony's name for the team Secret Santa. He hopes that with the perfect gift, he'll finally be able to take their relationship to the next level.There's only one problem — the name he picked actually isn't Tony’s.





	Crimson Kringle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zappedbysnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zappedbysnow/gifts).



> This fic was written for zappedbysnow for the 2018 Captain America/Iron Man Holiday Exchange based on the prompt about Steve misunderstanding his Secret Santa assignment and thinking it's Tony. 
> 
> It was such an honor to get to write an AA Steve/Tony fic for one of my favorite artists in the community! I tried to touch upon as many of your preferred tags as possible, which was easy to do since Avengers Assemble lends itself so well to fluff and happy endings! I hope you like it.
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are sincerely appreciated. Thank you for reading and Merry Christmas!

“Alright, everyone just about done with their slips?” Sam asked, shaking a Santa Claus hat in front of the rest of his team.

“In a second...still trying to think of a stupid ‘code name’ because we can’t have a _normal_ Secret Santa and write our first names down,” Clint said with a huff, chewing on his pen and staring blankly at his card.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “The code names help keep at least some level of anonymity. Not to mention they make it harder for Hulk to figure out who has him when he inevitably goes through everyone’s trash looking for slips.” 

Hulk huffed. “Wanna make sure I get good present...garbage just sitting there anyway.” Hulk reached over and put his card in the hat. It was the same size as everyone else’s somehow, meaning Hulk at least had the patience to write his code name on such a small card; present giving, and more importantly, present /receiving/, was a very serious manner.

“Yeah, I love when there are piles of garbage lying around /my/ tower.” Tony folded his card carefully and placed it in the hat. “Oh, and remember to make your code name at least somewhat obvious it’s you. Hulk and Barton don’t exactly need a brain challenge on Christmas.”

Clint looked up, shooting a glare at Tony. “Very funny, smartass.” He finally came up with a code name, scribbling something on his slip and shoving it in the hat. “Okay, I get the code names, but did they have to be Christmas themed? That was the hard part, coming up with something that’s not /too/ obvious it’s me but also festive. Do I look like Dr. Seuss to you people?”

Thor laughed heartily from beside Clint, slapping him cheerfully on the back (roughly too, based on how Clint lunged forward). “Tis the season, my friend! I for one wholeheartedly support the boy’s encouragement of festivities.”

Sam beamed at the compliment.“Thanks!” He gave the hat a vigorous shake now that he had all the names. “Okay, it's time to draw! And please, try and keep your reactions as neutral as possible.”

“AKA, don’t start jumping for joy when you draw my name,” Tony joked, taking his slip when the bag came his way.

Steve’s eyes attentively followed Tony’s actions as he took his turn. He was trying to gauge /any/ sort of reaction from the genius about the name he selected, any indication that it might be his own. 

Tony’s response was unfortunately far from helpful; he read the name, nodded, and then put the slip in his pocket. Despite its simplicity, Steve still found himself obsessively reading into it. 

Had that been a nod out of satisfaction, or was he just masking his disappointment? Why didn’t he smile, why didn’t he frown? Why did he have to look so handsome when doing even the most meaningless tasks?

“Steve?”

Steve blinked, looking away from Tony to see Sam in front of him with the bag. He flushed, hoping he hadn’t been staring for too long. “Sorry I, uh, spaced out for a moment there.” He reached into the bag, trying to scour through the remaining slips to find the one that was most delicately folded; he had made note of the careful precision of the crease Tony made. When he felt a very sharp edge from one of the slips poke his hand, he seized it, opening it eagerly.

‘Crimson Kringle’, was the name written inside. His brows furrowed in contemplation as he considered the name, but it didn’t take him long to figure it out. His eyes went wide, staring at the paper in sheer disbelief.

There was no one else it could be thanks to the clue ‘crimson’ provide. The word was practically synonymous with the man. It was the striking color of his armor, the color Steve always reached for when drawing him, and the color that was the perfect representation of his bold and elegant personality. Crimson was Tony, Tony was crimson, and Tony was Crimson Kringle.

If this wasn’t a Christmas miracle, he didn’t know what was.

“Yes!” Steve exclaimed far louder than he had intended, all eyes in the room now on him.

“Steve! What did I just say about strong reactions!?” Sam snapped, his expression dropping once he seemingly realized he had scolded Captain America. “I mean...maybe keep it down a little bit?”

“Right, sorry, I just really enjoy Christmas,” Steve partially lied, his cheeks flushing a faint shade of red. He carefully folded the paper back up and put it in his pocket, keeping it just as pristine as when he first drew it.

When he looked back up, he saw Tony grinning at him. He couldn't help but wonder...did Tony know? His grin just looked so knowing, so intuitive. Granted, Tony always seemed to know everything, but the way he stared right at him after his boisterous reaction with that warm expression, Steve couldn’t help but feel like Tony /knew/. 

If the look on Tony’s face was any indication of his feelings, maybe him knowing wasn’t a bad thing at all.

XXXXX

What did you even get a billionaire who could easily buy whatever he wanted? Steve had spent the last nine days attempting to figure that out, but his efforts were proving fruitless.

He was starting to think that the question had no answer. Anything he could possibly buy for him at a store -- the things he could afford anyway -- Tony probably already had three that were twice as nice. The idea of the things that could not be bought crossed his mind, too, and he did briefly consider drawing for him. But Tony had an entire floor of the tower dedicated to his huge modern art collection; Steve’s art would just be insulting compared to the pieces Tony had curated over the years.

The stress of it all was even affecting his sleep, which was why he was forcing down a third cup of coffee, something he seldom did. He had hoped the caffeine would give him the extra energy and stimulation to come up with a perfect gift for Tony, when all it was actually doing was making him even more anxious and jittery.

And as if he wasn’t already stressed enough — “Hey.” 

Steve jolted forward at the unexpected sound, looking up to see the man who had (indirectly) been causing him incessant anxiety.

“Hi,” He responded, watching as Tony, unsurprisingly, went over to get a cup of coffee for himself. It was only then that Steve realized that this was the first of Tony he had really seen in the past few days. While his stress levels were thankful for that, he did find it strange. It wasn’t like Tony to be so reclusive. 

Tony joined him at the kitchen table once he finished fixing his coffee. “Not used to seeing the pot so empty, I figured I was the only caffeine addict around here.”

“Yeah, overconsumption of caffeine is definitely more up your alley,” Steve said, stirring another spoonful of sugar into his mug (he never understood how on earth Tony drank his coffee black). “I’m just stressed about my Secret Santa. I haven’t picked out a present for my person yet, and the exchange is tomorrow.” 

Tony nodded, taking a sip from his mug. “Yeah, these sorts of things can be tough. Especially when it’s someone you really want to impress, right?”

“Tell me about it,” Steve responded. “And the thing is, I think I really do like this person, so I need to make sure my gift is absolutely perfect.”

“Don’t stress so much,” Tony said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’m _very_ confident this person likes you a lot, so they’ll be more than happy with anything.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, sensing Tony’s implication. “You know, don’t you?”

Tony smirked. “You weren’t exactly subtle when you picked your card, Cap.” 

“I was excited...” Steve mumbled, only slightly defensively because it was true. “But am I really that obvious about my feelings toward my, uh, Secret Santa? Aside from my _slightly_ loud 'yes' during the name drawing, that is.”

He chose his words carefully, he didn’t want to outright say he had Tony. That would be breaking a rule, and Steve Rogers always followed rules. 

“Definitely,” Tony began. “But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think they’ve taken notice and are waiting for you to make a move to get the ball rolling; the right type of present can certainly do that.”

“Believe me, I’ve wanted to get this ball rolling for a long time,” Steve said, letting out an exasperated sigh. “But I don’t have even the slightest idea of what the ‘right type of present’ is...”

Tony shrugged. “Well, you can’t go wrong with something you can both enjoy together...maybe something for the bedroom?”

Steve really wished he hadn’t taken a sip of his coffee while Tony was talking. He swallowed far too quickly, triggering a brief coughing fit. “Don’t you think that might come off a little strong?” Steve managed to say once he regained his breath and most of his composure.

“Come on, Steve, this is someone you’ve known for years! The passion is already there from being friends and teammates for ages, so a gift like that will help you get to the next level — that’s what you want, isn’t it?” Tony asked, a knowing look on his face.

It was absolutely what he wanted and, evidently, what Tony did too. Tony did have a point - they certainly were not strangers. If anything, Tony probably knew him better than anyone else.

They had wasted enough time already dancing around their feelings for what felt like forever, so why waste any more?

“I guess that is true, I certainly do know them well. And they /do/ seem like the type of person to enjoy, uh, things for the bedroom,” Steve said, a more confident grin forming on his face. He supposed he really shouldn’t have been too surprised at the sultry suggestion. This was Tony after all.

Tony mirrored his grin back. “Yeah, now we’re talking! No point in beating around the bush, you’ve waited long enough.” Tony stood up, grabbing his now empty mug to get a refill. “Sounds like you’ve got some shopping to do, big guy.”

Steve stood as well, quickly finishing up his drink. He felt reinvigorated, with a surge of energy and excitement that three cups of coffee could not give him, but one very informative conversation with Tony could. “Thanks for the advice, Tony!” He winked at Tony, a silent thank you for his not so subtle transparency.

Tony mirrored his wink. “What are friends for? Godspeed, Cap.”

XXXXX

The box felt like it was burning a hole in his lap.

Steve watched impatiently as Clint handed over his gift to his Secret Santa, Thor. He felt rude for not paying much attention or reacting to the new video game Thor ended up getting (one Clint had also wanted, ‘coincidentally’). In all fairness, he had been paying minimal attention to most of the previous gift exchanges. He was far too anxious, as well as excited, about how Tony would react to his gift. 

He only hoped he had followed Tony’s hints enough. If he didn't, if Tony ended up hating it, he would not only be disappointing himself but Tony as well. This was more than just a gift now, this was the future of their relationship. It had to perfect, there was no alternative.

Steve was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn’t react to Sam calling out his own code name. 

“Uh, Captain Christmas?” Sam asked again, his attention obviously on Steve, because who else would fit that code name?

“Oh, right,” Steve said, taking the box from Sam. “Sorry, spaced out again.”

Sam chuckled. “Seems like you’ve been doing that a lot lately. Something on your mind?”

“More like someone,” Tony chimed in, winking at Steve. 

Steve flushed at the wink, smiling at Tony. He shifted his attention back to his gift, which he opened rather quickly. The sooner he was done receiving, the sooner it was /finally/ his turn to give.

Sam’s gift ended up being a very earnest and humble one. “My Mom found these in our attic, they were her Grandmother’s,” Sam explained, opening the large black book to reveal collections of several newspaper clippings and photos of Captain America and his comrades during the war. “There were tons of papers up there. Turns out everyone in my family is a total pack-rat. But we went through them all and picked out the ones about Captain America for you. Hopefully, this is a nice reminder of how much of a hero you were to everyone back on the home front during the war.”

Steve smiled at the book, turning the pages delicately to admire the old photos. “This is absolutely wonderful. Please, tell your Mom how much I appreciate the time and effort you both put into making this for me.” 

“Of course, Cap! I’m glad you like it! Merry Christmas,” Sam smiled at him and took his seat. “Alright, now it’s your turn - who did you have?”

Steve froze. How did he possibly give a ‘next level’ gift to Tony in front of the whole team after he had just received such a sweet and heartfelt one about his legacy as an American icon? He’d never be able to live it down. “Uh, my gift is a bit...intimate, so I’d like to maybe give mine in private to my Secret Santa? We’ll come right back, of course.”

Clint snickered. “Captain America got someone a /sex/ gift!? Oh, this is rich! Can we please all see what it is?”

“Zip it, bird brain. Let’s respect his wish for some privacy,” Tony quipped at Clint, before averting his attention back to Steve. “Go on, Steve. Who did you have?”

Steve smiled at Tony, keeping eye contact with him as he spoke because it was _finally_ time. “Crimson Kringle, if you wouldn’t mind stepping out of the room with me?”

“That'd be me.” A voice from behind Steve said. He froze, slowly turning around to face Crimson Kringle, or rather, Natasha Romanoff, who was staring at him with a skeptical expression. “What exactly did you get me that you don’t want everyone else to see?”

“No,” Steve said bluntly, his denial unwavering. “You.../you’re/ Crimson Kringle? But...how!? That name doesn't make any sense for you!” He glanced back at Tony, desperately searching for some sort of explanation, but Tony was just calmly sitting there, albeit looking a bit confused. 

Natasha took the gift before Steve could protest. “I have red hair, another word for ‘red’ is ‘crimson’, and I added the ‘Kringle’ because Sam wanted the names to be festive. I’ll admit, it’s not the most clever code name, but it gets the point across.” Natasha put the present aside, only for Clint to snatch it up quickly when she wasn’t looking. “Who exactly did you think you had if not me?”

“I thought it was...you know because, well, his armor is crimson and—” Steve paused, turning to face Tony to get some very much needed answers to the plethora of questions in his head. “You told me my feelings were obvious! When has it ever been apparent I like Natasha!?”

Tony jumped at his sudden inclusion in the debacle. “I was just trying to be encouraging. You know how you are, you never would have made a move!”

“Encouraging!? You were encouraging me to have sex with her! I thought you were talking about us.”

“No, I knew you had Natasha! Did you honestly think I would have as lame of a code name as Crimson Kringle!?”

“Your armor is crimson! You talk about it all the time, you yell at Clint when he calls it red, you - wait, how did you even know that I had Natasha?”

“I...may have looked at you opening your note on the security cameras.”

“Tony, that’s cheating!”

“I just wanted to find out if you had me, you were so excited when you opened your card, I wanted to know if it was because of me!”

“Of course it was because of you, who else would I be excited for? I told you, I — wait, hang on, does this mean you still want to take our relationship to the next level?”

“Holy /shit/, Steve!” Clint exclaimed, interrupting the banter between Tony and Steve. Steve looked away from Tony, paling when he saw the box had been opened, his gift revealed for the whole team to see. There it was, plain as day — the next level. 

In Clint’s hands were a pair of crimson, velvet booty shorts with white fur trim around the top and at the thighs. On the back in sparkly gold letters it said ‘NAUGHTY’; the shorts were clearly Tony’s size, though in an intentionally tight fit.

Steve rushed over and snatched the shorts out of Clint’s hands, putting them back in the box. “I told you I didn’t want it opened in front of everyone!” Steve paused, hesitantly glancing over at Natasha. “But, uh, this technically is your gift. If you want them, I mean, I can’t sto-”

Natasha raised a hand to stop Steve before the conversation got any stranger than it already was. “You know, these look like they are Tony’s size exactly, so how could I possibly deny him that?”

Steve awkwardly shoved the box under his arm. “I...owe you a present.”

Natasha smirked. “Double up on my birthday and we’ll be even. Sorry about bird boy opening the gift in front of everyone, he just can’t keep his nose out of business that isn’t his.”

“Like I couldn’t /not/ find out what sort of sex gift Captain America bought for you. Well, it wasn’t really for you, but I thought that it was, since he was your Secret Santa, and I couldn’t stand the idea of you and hi-” Clint rambled, stumbling over his own words and feelings until he was (thankfully) interrupted by one impatient rage monster, still without his present.

“No more!” Hulk yelled, slamming his fists on the ground, the entire floor vibrating from the impact. “No more sexy underwear talk, no more lovey feelings, gross! Back to presents! I still have no gift, getting angry here!”

“Woah, easy there, jolly green giant!” Tony exclaimed, stepping in to quell the Hulk before he got any angrier. “I’m just gonna skip ahead and have it be my turn. I had ‘Christmas Hulk’, which I can safely assume is you, and if I might add, a very clever code name this year. Anyway, here’s your first present.” Tony slammed a big box on the table. “I subscribed you to a gourmet fudge of the month club. So every month, new fudges will come for Hulk and Hulk only. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. To start off, I got you all of the flavors from last year.”

“Yes! Fudge!” Hulk exclaimed, gleefully digging into the treat. 

“Fudge, always a crowd pleaser. Merry Christmas, big guy.” Tony moved over to stand beside Steve. “I’m going to take a moment to excuse myself and Steve, but feel free to continue exchanging gifts. If you have Noel-It-All as your Secret Santa, kindly wait for us to return, it won’t be long. And if you have a problem with that, well, a casual reminder that you all live here rent free and have somewhere warm and cozy to be for the holidays. I can easily become a real Scrooge to fit the season, but I don’t think anyone wants that. So, yes, we’ll be right back.” Tony spoke quickly, guiding Steve out of the room swiftly before any comments or complaints could be made.

XXXXX

They ended up in the dining room, and Steve was just beyond grateful it was not the bedroom.

He handed the box over to Tony, opting to be the one to break the uncomfortable silence. “I, uh, guess this is for you now as well.”

Tony smiled, removing the top of the box. He pulled out the shorts, silently examining them for what felt like an eternity before speaking. “So, this is your idea of ‘the next level’.”

Steve laughed nervously. “I didn’t want to rush into anything too crazy right away, so I thought that this...well, it definitely is worn in the bedroom.”

Tony laughed as well. “Yeah, that’s for sure.” He paused, his expression stiffening to a more serious one. “I’m sorry I used the surveillance cameras to find out which name you drew. It was an invasion of your privacy, and I shouldn’t have done it.”

“And it’s cheating,” Steve added.

“Yeah, and it’s cheating,” Tony paused, biting his lip. “I...think it’s pretty obvious I like you, Steve, and your reaction when you picked your Secret Santa made me hopeful that it was me, that you felt the same. But when I found out it was Natasha’s card, I naturally assumed you liked her-”

“-which is /not/ true in the slightest,” Steve refuted immediately

“Yes, I'm aware of that now and am beyond glad to hear,” Tony admitted, relief evident in his tone. “Anyway, the idea of you liking her, or just liking someone else, well, it really hurt. And to encourage you to go after her...that hurt the most.”

“Is that why I barely saw you this week? Were you avoiding me because you were hurting?” Steve asked softly. 

Tony nodded, his gaze cast downward at the ground.

Steve frowned, reaching out to put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Tony...why would you encourage something that caused you so much pain?” 

Tony sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? Because I care about you, Steve...I care about you a lot. And when you care about people, you just want them to be happy, even if it means you might not get to be in the picture.”

Steve dropped his hold on Tony’s shoulder, pulling him in for an intimate embrace instead. Tony clung to him immediately, his face burrowing against Steve’s neck. He had clearly needed the hug, the reassurance that he was always going to be in the metaphorical picture; Steve was more than happy to oblige.

Steve’s hand reached up to stroke through his dark hair, slowly rocking him in his arms. “Oh, Tony…” Steve began. “The fact that you would do something like that for me, even when it would have meant so much heartbreak for you is far beyond the next level. It’s absolutely amazing...you’re so incredible.” 

“Actually, according to my gift, I’m naughty,” Tony joked, the familiar light and spark right back in his eyes, just the way Steve liked it. “But hey, I guess it’s easy to be incredible too when I have you in my life, you’re practically the definition of the word.”

Steve grinned at Tony’s smooth words, his expression only dropping off when a previous thought returned. “So...this means you do still want to go to the next level with me?” Steve asked, needing clarification in the midst of the unexpectedly high amount of confusion and drama that had conspired over a silly gift exchange.

Tony rolled his eyes, but a smile followed in suit right after. “Yes, yes, I do. And I think these will do a nice job taking us there,” Tony said, gesturing to the shorts on the dining room table.

“Oh yes, they certainly will,” Steve agreed. He eyed Tony’s lips, a tempting idea coming to mind. “I wish there was a mistletoe right about now...I’d love to kiss you.” 

Tony scoffed. “Please, like you need some plant as an excuse to kiss me. But seeing as it is Christmas…” He pulled back, reaching into the inner pocket of his suit jacket to, low and behold, pull out a mistletoe. “Always gotta be prepared for these sort of things,” He added, holding it above their heads.

“They don’t call you Noel-It-All for nothing. Merry Christmas, Tony.”

“Merry Christmas, Steve.”

Steve leaned in and deeply kissed Tony, pleased when he returned the kiss with the same eagerness and passion. He loved everything about it - the warm feeling of Tony in his arms, Tony on his lips, Tony as his. It was the perfect kiss.

Tony was trying to deepen the kiss into something far more naughty, and while it was tempting, Steve forced himself to pull back. “You promised everyone we’d be back shortly.”

Tony let out a whine of protest. “Oh come on, I bet they didn’t even notice we’re gone.”

Steve pressed a kiss to Tony’s forehead. “After dinner, we’ll resume this, but so you have something to look forward too…” Steve reached down and picked up the shorts, holding up the ‘NAUGHTY’ side to Tony. “The underwear actually came as a couples' set - I may have the ‘NICE’ pair on right now, and I’d love to show them to you later tonight.”

Tony beamed, hardly discreet as he looked down at Steve’s crotch. “And it’s on under your Christmas suit? Steve Rogers, you kinky bastard.” 

“You said you wanted something we _both_ could enjoy in the bedroom, didn’t you?” Steve said, chuckling. “Later though. After all, we still gotta see what gift you got. Unless you cheated and figured that out, too?”

Tony shook his head. “No, no, I did not do any cheating of that sort, this I promise you. And really, I only cheated out of love! Is that a crime?”

Steve smirked. “It’s definitely naughty list material, but seeing that it is Christmas, and we already know you're _very_ naughty, I guess I can let you off the hook this time.” 

Steve’s gaze briefly shifted from Tony, noticing something on the ground — the mistletoe. Tony must have dropped it during their kiss. He reached down and picked it up, gently slipping it into his pocket. He stood back up and took Tony’s hand, giving it a fond squeeze. “Shall we?” 

“We shall.” Tony agreed, pressing in close as they started to make their walk back to the party. “Why did you take the mistletoe? Something to use later on?” 

“Yeah, something like that.”

Steve hadn’t taken the mistletoe just for more shallow indulgences or excuses to kiss Tony; he didn’t need a silly plant for that. The real reason Steve had taken the mistletoe was for something far more sentimental. He wanted it to remember the greatest present he had ever received on Christmas, the one he had been waiting and wanting for entirely too long — the man he cared about most finally becoming his.

There truly was no better Christmas gift than Tony Stark.


End file.
